A vetocracy is a dysfunctional system of

governance Governance is the process of interactions through the laws, norms, power or language of an organized society over a social system ( family, tribe, formal or informal organization, a territory or across territories). It is done by the gove ...

whereby no single entity can acquire enough

power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...

to make decisions and take effective charge. Coined by American political scientist

Francis Fukuyama Francis Yoshihiro Fukuyama (; born October 27, 1952) is an American political scientist, political economist, international relations scholar and writer. Fukuyama is known for his book ''The End of History and the Last Man'' (1992), which argue ...

, the term points to an excessive ability or willingness to use the

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...

power within a

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

or institution (without an adequate means of any override). Such limitations may point to a lack of trust among members or hesitance to cede

sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...

. Some institutions which have been hampered by perceptions of vetocratic limitations (and even responsible for their downfall) include the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...

, the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

, and the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

. The present-day

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

has been criticized for its inability to take decisive action due to the exclusive rights of veto power of permanent members. Fukuyama has argued that the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

was facing such a crisis under the republic's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation. Fukuyama has raised the alarm that the U.S. seems to have a system of government at many levels with a detrimental number of vetos have caused lots of pain and suffering due to public sector dysfunction. This can lead to populism and authoritarianism as voters become frustrated with paralysis. For example, in the United States, a veto is not just held by the executive branch, but there are many other opportunities or veto points to derail a law throughout the political process. More veto points typically mean it's much more difficult to pass legislation.

United States

The success rate of legislation in the U.S. in the modern era has dropped from ~7% to 2%, which could be due in part to partisanship making veto points more perilous for legislation.

Veto points for federal legislation in the United States

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

to propose a bill # House Committee chair(s) # House Committee(s) #

Hastert Rule The Hastert Rule, also known as the "majority of the majority" rule, is an informal governing principle used in the United States by Republican Speakers of the House of Representatives since the mid-1990s to maintain their speakerships and limit ...

#* If the party in power decides to use it #

US House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

# Senate Committee chair(s) # Senate Committee(s) #

Senate Filibuster A filibuster is a tactic used in the U.S. Senate to delay or block a vote on a measure by preventing debate on it from ending. The Senate's rules place few restrictions on debate; in general, if no other senator is speaking, a senator who seek ...

# Senate #

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

#* note: can be overridden with 2/3 support # Supreme Court #*

Federalist Society The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies (abbreviated as FedSoc) is an American conservative and libertarian legal organization that advocates for a textualist and originalist interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. Headquarter ...

for republican judicial nominees #

Lobbyists In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, whi ...

(professionals and otherwise) #* Corporate lobbying is roughly 4x greater than all other lobbying combined (34x that of public interest and labor lobbying)

Subnational governments

Vetocracy has been used to describe many state and local governments in the United States where unusually high infrastructure and housing costs are in part blamed on the many veto points.

References

External links

Why we can’t buildA few steps to overcome American 'vetocracy'American Political Decay or Renewal?Subscribe to read , Financial Times
Pejorative terms for forms of government Veto {{Gov-stub